Day 1: Setting Off

Off on the 8:05 am sailing from Friday Harbor to Anacortes’ Cap Sante Marina on a gorgeous day. The Salish Sea Sciences team meets up with Captain Sonia and Mate Chrissy in time to pack gear in dry bags, enjoy lunch, and get to know their vessel for the next 5 days, a lovely replica of the tenders used to chart these waters by Captain Vancouver’s crew in the 1790s.

Photos: Timothy Dwyer

Packed up, safety procedures reviewed, and it’s time to learn about navigation, enjoy the sun, don lifejackets, and row!

Day 2:

Day 3: Adventure at Cypress Head

The third day of our longboat voyage awoke at the luxuriously late hour of 8:00.  The day had been set aside with the initial plan to explore the beautiful Cypress Island, a much needed rest day.  Breakfast was similarly extravagant with fried potatoes, scrambled eggs and apple juice.  

We set out from our camp at Cypress Head, a peninsula shaped campground that nearly becomes an island during high tide, on the Cypress Head Trail.  A small group split off to return with Captain Soso to watch over the boat.  The remainder of us continued to the Old Airfield Trail which wandered through a former airstrip that is now part of a forest reclamation project.  From there we continued to the Bradberry Lake Trail and arrive at Bradberry Lake.

Parker (aka Agatha) hijacking an old abandoned truck we found

Our arduous climb was compensated with a gorgeous view of the inland lake.  After taking water samples and temperature recordings we sat down for a snack.  Many of us were struck by the dryness of the ecosystem surrounding the lake, the soil appeared dry and cracking in places.

The hikers who made it to the lake (minus the cross country superstar, Peter)

Upon returning we were greeted by a lunch of hummus and pita bread. Some of us took the time to swim and explore the tide pools while others settled in for a nap.

skip and dip!

We ended the day with bean and rice burritos, AGAIN, and turned in for an early evening.

Day 4: A Windy Sail to Saddlebag

In the morning of the fourth day, the boys awoke from a long and troubled night of wind and boat rocking.  The flapping boat cover had prevented sleep for all but the most drowsy of them.  Upon removal of the boat cover it was revealed to be a cloudy and windy day.  As the girls arrived from the tent site it was apparent that they had slept much better.  

We all got together on the beach at 6:00.  It was soon apparent that everyone was freezing.  After slowly loading the longboat it was suggested that we get on our bright neon orange exposure suits. We looked like a small army of orange marshmallows.

Preparing the sails beforehand, we lifted the anchor and rowed out into Bellingham Channel where we were greeted by a hair raising site, a giant oil tanker heading in our direction.  Captain Chrissy got on the walkie-talkie and called up Seattle Traffic to tell them to connect us to the tanker’s captain.  We informed him of our location and type of boat, preventing a collision.  

After the tanker passed safely in front of us we raised our sails and steered towards the northern tip of Guemes.  From there we handed out breakfast: bagels with cream cheese, peanut butter, and/or jelly.

While heading for our next destination, Saddlebag Island, we had to circumnavigate around Jack Island.  We then sailed back and forth across Padilla Bay slowly making our way towards Saddlebag.  After a brief encounter with a barge towing tugboat, some of the crew took the time to cozy up in their exposure suits for a nap.  

Finally we arrived at our destination at around 12:45 PM.  We quickly set up camp and took a few hours of free time before dinner.  

Dinner that night was lentil curry soup which we enjoyed with a side of sailor boy crackers.  We then played a friendly round of The Malorie Family Fun game, a combination of charades and a talking guessing game and went to bed for our final night of the voyage.

Day 5:

At the disagreeable hour of 5:30 in the morning, our alarms went off and we reluctantly opened our groggy eyes. The day had finally arrived. It was time to begin our journey back to the marina, where our adventure had begun five days before.

After packing the rest of our supplies, we were on our way for the last time. Before we got going, Captain Sonia and Chrissy gave up a list of challenges to complete before reaching the marina. These challenges included: compiling a comprehensive list of all the marine life we had seen, doing a 360 degree turn in the boat, setting and furling the mizzen sail, singing a sea shanty, doing 20 power strokes, performing a man overboard drill, a moment of silence, and tying a round turn and two half hitches, all with little help from our captains.

The first leg of our journey took us from Saddlebag Island to Southeast Point, right before Guemes Channel. We knew that we would not be able to take any breaks once we were into the channel, so we had some snack breaks to gather our energy and prepare us for the hardest part of the day.

As we continued to Anacortes, the wind and the current pushed against us, but our rowers worked hard to keep us moving steadily towards our destination. Throughout the trip, moral was maintained by singing upbeat sea shanties.

Right before entering the marina, we took a moment to gather our thoughts and appreciate the events of the last four days. When we pulled into the marina dock, we all sat together to reminisce over our favorite memories of the trip and what we wanted to take away from this experience.

Although we had arrived at the dock, our work was not yet finished. We still had to clean up all of our supplies, as well as our beloved boat, the Townshend. Everyone split into three groups to take on our tasks. The boat crew completely emptied the boat and gave her a thorough wash. The “dip and dry” crew rinsed our gear with water and bleach and hung it on a clothesline to dry. The galley crew washed all our dishes with warm water and soap. After completing our individual chores, we all worked together to repack the boat in order to get it ready for the next voyage. Once all of this was done, we could finally rest and eat lunch of all the leftovers from the trip, our “roadkill” as Captain Soso said. Finally, Tim showed up with the van to take us back to the ferry and bring our adventure to an end.

It was a long journey with many different challenges we had to overcome, and through it all, we learned a lot about ourselves and how well we worked together. On this trip, we shared a lot of memories and experiences that we will remember for many years.

By Ben, Sonja, and Parker-

On the second full day, we arose from our chambers to a brisk summer morning. We then came into the kitchen to have a delicious meal of various cereals, fruits, and other breakfast options.

After finishing breakfast we took a quick walk to the Whale Museum where we were given a lecture about the local orca population.

Walking to the Whale Museum

During this lecture we listened to a conversation between a family of Southern Resident Killer Whales named Oreo, Double Stuff, and Cookie. We could hear the various clicks and other sounds that they used to communicate with each other. Unfortunately, these orcas face many threats to their already endangered population, such as noise pollution caused by humans, decreasing prey populations (specifically Chinook salmon), and the accumulation of toxins in predators on top of the food chain. After the lecture, we moved up to the different exhibits in the museum and were given a scavenger hunt to “dive deeper” into the fascinating lives and behaviors of these amazing marine mammals.

Listening to a lecture on orcas

If you are wondering how you can help support orca populations worldwide, it can start with simple things such as picking up trash and limiting electricity use, along with many other solutions. For more information, please visit the link above to the Whale Museum website.

After leaving the museum, in small groups, we explored Friday Harbor through a photo safari, during which we searched for areas depicted in historical photographs. Attempting to recreate the photo in the modern era, to examine the transformation in the people, landscape, and culture of the island.

Photographer: Peter

After a lunch of sandwiches, we prepared for our longboat voyage starting on Wednesday, June 28th.

We then traveled to the Spring Street International School labs where we received a lecture on algae by Dr. Rebecca Guenther, manager of the Ocean Acidification Environmental Laboratory in Friday Harbor.

We learned the major characteristics of algae and how to identify them with a dichotomous key.

There are thousands of species of algae, but are divided into three main groups: green, brown, and red algae.

Later, we created plant presses of algae specimens which will be dried and completed by the time we return from our longboat voyage.

Dr. Guenther then joined us for a scrumptious pizza dinner with flavorful toppings such as potatoes, artichokes, and different types of cheese.

Now we will finish our preparations for the long-boat journey and prepare ourselves to wake up early and catch our ferry to Anacortes!

By Gabi, Paradis, Chloe, and Daniel-

Wake up early in the morning, anxious of this new world and what it was offering us on our first day. The sun shining, the clouds low; it didn’t look like the San Juan Island. It was a new world and we are happy to be here. Some of us woke up really early to rock and roll, and some of us were ready to sing Bruno Mars’s The Lazy Song. But no matter how much were anxious or tired, we all were excited to be part of this new adventure called The Salish Sea Sciences Program.

Breakfast, the joyful part of everyone’s morning when that first meal is served, and for those of us who aren’t morning people, enjoying a cup of coffee. This morning happened to bring forth eggs, toast and VERY LARGE MUFFINS all of which tasted amazing. After eating and congregating at our first breakfast, it was decided that a tour was in order to set up boundaries and see the little town of Friday Harbor. By “little,” we mean little; this small town is so close together that its almost impossible to get lost. That being said, what was lost in quantity was for sure made up in quality as Friday Harbor was immaculately clean and all so adorable.

After walking the quaint yet charming streets of Friday Harbor, we headed back to the dorms for some lunch.  We dove into all sorts of sandwiches, salads, and more to fuel ourselves for our next outing: a visit to the Friday Harbor Laboratories associated with the University of Washington.  After arriving at the Lab, we boarded the Centennial, UW’s marine research vessel.

We headed out onto Griffin Bay so we could let down a net to trawl along the sea floor to pick up some of the local diverse flora and fauna.

After pulling the net on the ocean floor for about 10 minutes, the captain pulled up the net and released all the catch onto a sorting table for us to look through.

We were all amazed by all of the shrimp, crab, sea slugs, nudibranchs, sea stars, scallops, clams, and much more.

We all felt like true research scientists when we were aboard the Centennial, and it was a great first experience in the field for us.

After we returned from the Friday Harbor Laboratories we enjoyed an amazing dinner which consisted of pasta salad and grilled chicken accompanied by various vegetables. After we finished our delicious dinner we headed off to the Community Theater for a lecture by Dr. Lauren Mullineaux, a senior researcher and biology professor at Woods Hole, MA, which was about deep sea hydrothermal vent communities.

And now, we’re enjoying some relaxation time as we conclude our day!